Nebulizer



Sept., 29, 1931.. C. L, RlLEY 1,825,546

NEBULIZER Filed Aug. 2, 1928 .f l' jza/l 'llllllln l a l Patented Sept. 29, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.-

CHAMPLAIN L. RILEY, OF NORTH PLAINFIELD, NEW JERSEY,` ASSIGNOR TO IN- DUSTRIAL ASSOCIATES, INCORPORATED, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW 'YORK4 NEBULTZER Appncation nia August 2, 192s. serial No. 297,085.

This invention relates to a rotary nebulizer. The objects of the invention are (1) to prevent clogging of the conduit which feeds material to the nebulizin rotor; (2) to insure continuous delivery o material to the nebulizing rotor and a distribution of the material uniformly .about the axis of the rotor, and (3) to improve the interior construction of the nebulizingv rotor in general and particularly by providing self-cleaning channels through which the material being nebulized may be impelled to both surfaces of the rotor for dispersal in two planes.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is/ illustrated in the accompanying drawings and is described hereinafter.

In the drawings- Figure 1 is a top plan view of the nebulizing rotor;

Figure 2 is a sectional v1ew taken on the line 2--2 of Figure 1, and showing the supply conduitand the means for keeping 1t clear;

Figure 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Figure 2. l

The nebulizer consists of a rotor 10 attached to a central drive shaft 11 by a coupling 12 such as is shown in my '.Patent 1,676,113. The material to be nebulized 1s fed to the rotor through a conduit 13 which has a portion 14 surrounding the drive shaft 11 and lopening at its lower end to the interior of the rotor. v

The drive shaft 11 has a portion 15of slightly reduced diameter upon which 1s mounted a sleeve 16 carrying a triple threaded screw impeller 17. The shaft 1s gyratably mounted in accordance with the known practice. l

The rotor itself is made from a solid disc or annular member which may conform in exterior contour to that shown in my Patent 1,676,113. The disc has a central well 18 extending below the radial plane through the center of the disc and preferably most of the way through the disc as shown in Figure 2. The upper and lower surfaces of the disc, designated respectively as 19 and 20, form discharge lips which may be flat as shown in Figure 2 or slightly dished as in my Patent 1,676,113. For delivering the material being nebulized from the interior of the rotor to the upper and lower surfaces 19 and 20 from which it is dispersed radially, I provide two series of channels. One series leads from the upper surface to the interior and the other series, from the lower surface to the interior.

These channels receive material from the Well 18 being open thereto. As shown, the first series is formed as a circular series of equally spaced bores 2l equidistant from the axis of the rotor. These bores extend downwardly and inwardly from the upper surface 19, the inclination being such that the bores intersect the periphery of the central well 18 within the rotor as indicated at22. The bores extend to the same depth as does the well 18.

A similar series of equally spaced bores 23 at the same distance from the axis as bores 21 is made from the lower surface 2O upwardly and inwardly to the well 18. These bores are at the same inclination as the bore 21 and intersect the periphery of the well 18 in the same manner as indicated at 24. The bores 23 of the lower series are angularly spaced from those of the upper series as best shown in Figures 1 and 2, and all of the bores are of such size that those in the lower series intersect those in the upper series within the rotor. The result of this intersection of the bores is to form a chamber radially beyond the central well 18 and underlying part of the top wall ,which provides-the surface 19. The well 18 has, therefore, no wall except above the region of intersection as at 25. The inner wall of the rotor, thus formed by the intersecting bores, is scalloped as shown in Figure 3.

The description of the interior of the rotor as given above has followed somewhat the preferred method of making it in which ducts 21 and 23 are formed mainly by drillying holes in a solid disc. Considering the rotor apart from any particular method of its manufacture, it will be seen that it has a hollow interior and that one face, which is the bottom in normal use, is close-d in its mid-area and that the other face is open in its mid-area to rovide an inlet to the hollow interior. he interior chamber above the substantially radial web forming the Hoor of this chamber is defined also by the top wall in which are the apertures or ports of the channels 21 and b the outer axially extending side wall whc i is in substance a peripheral flange around the radial web.

The inner axially extending wall of the disc is made up of a succession of laterally concave flow surfaces alternately inclined lengthwise toward and away from the axis when viewed from one face of the disc. In each face of the disc and beyond the midarea is a series of apertures, those in the bottom registering with the several flow channels 23 provided by one series of concave surfaces and those in the other face registering with the channels 21 provided by the remaining alternate concave surfaces. The apertures in the two faces, as shown in Figure 1, are eqnidistant from the axis and are angularly spaced.

The operation of the device will be briefly described. The material fed through the conduit 13 is im elled by the screw 17, driven by the sha t 11, through the lower part 14 of the conduit and is delivered to the central well of the ncbulizing rotor 10. Such an impeller is particularly useful when a viscous substance is being nebulized. Substances of that soit tend to clog the inlet passage and, in time, either stop the delivery entirely or make it irregular and unevenly distributed. The screw shown here not only keeps the iassage clear but it insures a distribution o the material over the floor 28 uniformly about the axis of the rotor by reason of the triple threads which discharge at three equally spaced points. By such a feed unbalanced loading of the rotor is avoided.

The material received by the rotor is impelled by centrifugal force to the inner wall of the rotor and is guided upwardly through the channels 21, formed by one set of concave surfaces, to the discharge lips 19 and downwardly through channels 23, formed by the remaining concave surfaces, to the discharge lips 20. It will be noted that the channels through which the material flows to the discharge surfaces are of such shape that they offer little resistance to smooth flow of the material. The construction is found to be self-cleaning and very satisfactory in preventing clogging of the interior passages of the rotor.

It will be understood that the use herein of such words as upper lower and the like is not intended to limit the invention to a rotor turning about a vertical axis. For comparison with the claims, rotors are to be considered as if the axis were vertical.

Variations of the particular construction as shown and described here, in such details as shape, relative proportions and the like, are possible without departing from the essential features of the invention as defined in the following claims.

I claim- 1. A nebulizing rotor formed as a disc having an annular peripheral wall and a central well extending from one face to below the central radial lane of said disc, a circular series of equally spaced bores ex tendin from the said one face of the disc to the ttom of said well at such an inclination to the axis of the disc that they intersect the periphery of said well, and a similar series of e ually spaced hores extending from the ot er face of said disc into said well to a plane above said central plane and at the same inclination as the first series so as likewise to intersect the periphery of the well, the bores of one series being angularly spaced from those of the other series.

2. A nebulizing rotor formed as a disc having an annular peripheral wall and a central well extending from one face to below the central radial plane of said disc, a circular series of e ually spaced bores extending from the said one face of the disc to the bottom of said well at such an inclination to the axis of the disc that they intersect the periphery of said well, and a similar series of equally spaced bores extending from the other face of said disc into said well to a plane above said central plane and at the same inclination as the first series so as likewise to intersect the periphery of the well, the bores of one series being angularly spaced from those of the other series, said bores being all equidistant from the disc axis and of such size that the bores of one series intersect the bores of the other.

3. A nebulizer comprising a hollow rotor having upper and lower surfaces forming discharge lips and having a central inlet opening in the upper surface, the inner axially extending wall of said rotor comprising a series of surfaces providing flow channels, the said upper surface between the rim of the central opening and the upper discharge lip being apertured in register with certain of said channels and the said lower surface being apertured inl register with certain others of said channels.

4. A nebulizer comprising a hollow rotor having upper and lower surfaces forming discharge lips and having a central inlet opening in the upper surface, .the inner axially extending wall of said rotor comprising a series of surfaces providing flow channels. said surfaces being alternately inclined lengthwise toward and away from the rotor axis, the said upper surface between the rim of the central opening and the upper discharge lip being apertured in lli-5 register with certain of said channels and the said lower surface being apertured in register with certain others of said channels.

5. A nebulizer comprisin a rotor having a central well and a cham r radially beyond said well, the axially extending wall of said chamber comprising a series of alternate surfaces oppositely inclined with respect to the axis, said surfaces providing iiow channels, and said rotor having an upper and a lower face providing discharge lips, said upper face being apertured between the said well and the upper discharge li and in register with the channels provided by the surfaces inclined downwardly toward the axis and said lower face being apertured in register with the channels pro vided by the surfaces inclined upwardly toward the axis.

6. A nebulizer comprising a disc rotor having a hollow interior, one face thereof being closed and the other being o n in the mid area, the inner axially exte 'ng Wall of said interior comprising a series of alternate surfaces oppositely inclined with respect to the axis, said surfaces providing flow channels, and said rotor having an upper and a lower face providing discharge lips, said upper face being apertured between the said well and the upper discharge lip and in register with the channels provided by the surfaces inclined downwardly toward the axis and said lower face being a ertured in register with the channels provided by the surfaces inclined upwardly toward the axis.

7. A nebulizing rotor comprising a substantially radial web, a peri heral flan e around the web, a top wall ening wit said fiange and web an interior chamber above said web and having a central inlet opening, and a series of upwardly extending iow channels on the inner surface of said flange, said top wall being apertured in register with said channels.

8. A nebulizing rotor comprising a substantially radial web, a peripheral flange around the web, a top wall eining with the said flange an interior chamber and having a central inlet opening, a series of upwardly extending flow channels on the inner surface of said flange, said top wall being apertured in register with said channels, and another series of flow channels on the inner face of said Bange openin through said web and to the lower side o the rotor.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this s ilication.

(glcAMPLAIN L. RILEY. 

